The United States wins the title of Women’s World Amateur Team using a peculiar decisive game
The United States has not lifted the Espirito Santo trophy in the Women’s World Amateur Championship since 2018, and they have to rely on a weird leinker to play a winning streak in Singapore on Saturday.
When the dust settled on the Tanah Merah Country Club on Sunday, the United States, Spain and the Republic of Korea were all tied to the Under-18 rankings. Despite the tie, there is no sudden death in the playoffs or special games to play the finals. Instead, it is not usually proven to be a difference in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship.
When scored or even scored at 72 holes, the finals are the lowest non-count score.
In this case, the card belongs to Stanford star Megha Ganne, who hits 72 shots in the third round. Team USA is ready to rely on (if needed) at the start of the week, and it is a fight.
“We are very happy. We don’t do it often, play for the country, so we’re so happy to be here,” said Gann, who won the American Women’s Amateur Championship in August. “We are impressed with the golf level of Korea and Spain. It’s a heartbreaking finale for them, but we know both yesterday and today’s third-pointer may be important.”
“We talked about that as a team that might boil down to third points,” said Farah O’Keefe, a junior in Texas. “So, I think we were ready all week and everyone got it off and when the last putt went down, it happened, and then the third point. So the fact that we did was huge.”
The first decisive game was the lowest non-counted score in the final round, but the winner transferred the uncounted score from the third round to Ganne when USC senior Catherine Park made a birdie on the 18th hole to match Carolina Lopez-Chacarra with a score of 71.
“With my official background in rules, I’m very aware of the elements of victory,” Captain America Kendra Graham works on USGA’s rules and games. “I made the first call with each of them and I told them that each single person is in every day… If there is a decisive game, we will get that score.”
The Americans went into the final round with three strokes but knew they could quickly eliminate the deficit.
“We all know that three shots are nothing,” Gann said. “If we all birds, it’s a hole, so, we’re just trying to hit each of us, and each of us can play the best golf ball we can do.”
That’s what they do.
Ganne led the team to bogey-free Sunday 68, while O’Keefe and Park both scored 71 shots to tie the game, Park closed the eight-foot birdie, tied it up, and handed the trophy to the U.S. Trophy through the finals.
“I’m very happy,” Parker said. “It’s stress to get eight feet tall and then knowing we won is incredible. Being with them and winning this trophy is a dream.”
